Medical research and interventions can lead to new discoveries in treating cancer, understanding the human genome or the prevalence of diabetes in emergency department patients. However, practice-based art research in medical settings can also test questions, experiment with ideas and
contribute to new knowledge about human health and wellbeing. This article will focus on the sound and emergency medicine project, 'Designing Sound for Health and Wellbeing' as a case study to examine how applied art, music and sound research and interdisciplinary collaborations can benefit
hospital communities and engender a practice of non-invasive, non-chemical interventions to relieve patient stress and anxiety. As this project demonstrates, sound art and music does not have to be developed, created and presented for exhibitions and performances alone; it can also have a
strategic role in clinical interventions and health care provision.

The Journal of Applied Arts and Health serves a wide community of artists, researchers, practitioners and policy-makers evidencing the effectiveness of the interdisciplinary use of arts in health and arts for health. It provides a forum for the publication and debate within an interdisciplinary field of arts in healthcare and health promotion. The journal defines 'health' broadly which includes physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, occupational, social and community health.